It appears that he’s been unceremoniously dropped by the Chicago Bears, a team he loved. But lets be honest here, is memory clouding our judgment on what Hester actually brings for the money he’s demanding?

We all know Hester’s quality as a punt returner and a special teams player. His record for touchdowns equals Prime Time Deion Sanders. He scored an amazing 92-yard Kick off return in the Super Bowl that the Bears lost in 2006.

His strengths are apparent and even having an honorary made up verb being named after him shows his quality. So it might surprise you to know that this move is the best thing that the Bears could have done.

This is a changing Chicago with a new coach and new priorities. Lovie Smith paid out big bucks to keep Hester because he effectively held them ransom. His game expanded to also being a Wide Receiver, purely to get some more out of his talent for the money they were paying.

It didn’t work.

It may shock you to learn that Hester has scored seven return touchdowns since 2008. That’s right, seven over six seasons. Four of those seasons, he didn’t score one.

He was eventually moved back to being a special teams specialist but lets be honest, if you’re going to demand big bucks then you need to deliver. Hester did not deliver; in fact you could argue he was a big disappointment.

You have to think that Lovie Smith’s faith in him and the rather large guaranteed contract he had meant that Hester has been lucky not to be cut last year.

The problem with Hester, and it might seem to be a problem with many players with promise from the draft, is that they had an explosive rookie year. Hester had an explosive two years in a tricky position that played to his strengths and he played it spectacularly. Thirteen return TD’s in those two years alone gave him an incredible hand in contract bargaining.

But look at how QB’s dip after their promise begins to wane after a few years. It is not uncommon for the beginners luck, if you will, to run dry. Which for Hester, it did.

Despite have a turn around in form for a few years, he’s hardly delivered what his rookie seasons promised the Bears.

Another team will pick up Hester, that much is certain. But it won’t be for the money he’ll want or for the time he’ll want.

If he’s lucky he’ll get a good two-year contract with a one-year large guaranteed salary. But what you can say is that he will have a hell of a highlight reel. And if he gets even one more TD, he’ll have a record to boot.

I can’t think of many players who have that kind of accolade, that kind of money and their health enough at the end of their roads.

It’s not the end of the road for Hester just yet, but he’s certainly reaching an end game and he’s been lucky that the Bears haven’t done it before now.

What will be interesting to see is how the Bears utilize the available money they now have and how they build their 2014 team. Their main problem isn't the special team returns but getting a team injury free and consistently performing well enough to make the players.

Sacrificing Hester is the first step to that goal, the rest we'll see on draft day.

SuperFanDBS Writer

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just one other guy with a story to write who decided to come up with this slant on it. He can criticize Hester the WR all he wants yet only part of that was Hester's fault. But he can't ever criticize him as the greatest return man in NFL history. Most return men don't even 7 TDs in their entire career so nailing him to the cross for only getting 7 in the last six seasons is a cheap shot. He's also had a number of them called back or ended just shy of a score and through most of those 6 years they kept trying to make #1 WR out of him.

The bottom line is for $840k in cash and only a $570k cap hit at the very least that option should have been given him. So instead of a future HOF'er we get a 175lb runt out of Canada whose never played on an NFL field. What are the chances he'll do much more than just return kickoffs and punts too? Hester did exactly what he was asked of him last year and did it well yet he's being replaced by a hoser from the CFL whose even less likely to ever be a WR in the NFL. But we're not just getting Lovies guys asap are we? Hahaha

SuperFanDBS Writer

I've said it before and I'll say it again when we could have fetched 2 - 1st round picks for him after our superbowl loss I would have traded him right on the spot

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And if you'd have done that you'd have been lynched by 1000 Bears fans on the spot. No judge, no trial, no jury, just a hemp necklace. And whoever claimed we could have gotten two 1st round picks for him. That's joke right? He's not a starting QB with a Pro Bowl selection under his belt. That's nothing more than a pipe dream. Even getting one 1st round pick would have been tough.

DBS Writer

I'll be very interested to see what kind of interest Devin gets and what kind of contract someone gives him. Like I said before, I believe the loyalty from the team was shown in bringing him back last year to finish out his contract. He made $3 mil last year as a return man and they could have saved almost $2 mil by cutting him then. Now to suggest they are disloyal by NOT signing him to yet another contract at 31 years old when they need every dollar for that Defense, well, I just think it's not seeing the big picture. Devin had 8 great years here and we all love the guy, but speed and quickness are two of the first things to go with age, and those are really the only things Devin brought to the table. He still has gas in the tank, but even at the vet minimum (which Devin may have already refused for all we know), that's almost $1 mil. I'm just saying, I'm glad he was able to come back last year, but at some point the party is over and you can't blame the host for everything.

SuperFanDBS Writer

I'll be very interested to see what kind of interest Devin gets and what kind of contract someone gives him. Like I said before, I believe the loyalty from the team was shown in bringing him back last year to finish out his contract. He made $3 mil last year as a return man and they could have saved almost $2 mil by cutting him then. Now to suggest they are disloyal by NOT signing him to yet another contract at 31 years old when they need every dollar for that Defense, well, I just think it's not seeing the big picture. Devin had 8 great years here and we all love the guy, but speed and quickness are two of the first things to go with age, and those are really the only things Devin brought to the table. He still has gas in the tank, but even at the vet minimum (which Devin may have already refused for all we know), that's almost $1 mil. I'm just saying, I'm glad he was able to come back last year, but at some point the party is over and you can't blame the host for everything.

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OK lets look at what was and what is now.

Last year he was paid $2.1 mil not $3mil. His cap number was $2.94 mil which included the balance of his signing bonus but yes they could have released him and saved $2.1 mil. But with Manning and Knox no longer around who would be the return man? Weems??? That guy is nothing but a STeams coverage guy and he cost them $1.4 mil last year and produced what? A dozen STeams tackles and nary a point. I'd have cut Weems and used the savings towards Hester but no, Weems is Emery's boy and Hester isn't. Emery still hasn't released Weems and yet his 2014 cap hit is $1.6 mil and they save $1.1 mil if they release him. Emery could have released Weems, offered Hester a vet minimum with a cap cost of $570k and still had cap space for one more of his "one year wonder" deals for the same $570k cap hit all with money saved by releasing Weems.

So just how did this move save any money for the defense? Weems costs him more than Hester would have if he'd have taken that offer. Weems doesn't play defense and he never lines up at WR so how is he any different than Hester with the exception of the fact that Hester is far more valuable as a return threat. He's scores points and creates good field position but......he's not Emery's man and Weems is. Do you guys still not see the pattern I'm trying to point out. It couldn't be any more obvious than this could it?

Now the rest. Emery signed this kid Williams to a three year deal and he's yet to even play one down of NFL football. He's Hesters replacement and his cap cost this year is $520k. Just $50k less than Hester would have cost them. So just how much D is $50k more in cap space gonna buy you? For a measly $50k Phil Emery let the greatest return man in NFL history walk and never even gave him the opportunity to compete for his job this summer and a shot at breaking the record for return TDs as a Bear. Bears fans should be as upset as Urlacher was but they're to busy to look at the facts. Instead it just easier to go on hating Urlacher for telling the truth again!

Does any of this ever hit home to Bears fans or would they all rather just not know the rest of the story and play ostrich? I take the time to check this shit out and I present what, to the best of my ability, I think is a fair representation of the facts. All the facts as I understand them. So tell me again that I'm wrong about Emery getting rid of the Lovie Lovers as fast as he can. If he's not doing that then either he lacks basic math skills and financial common sense (and he has Cliff Stein for that anyway) or he's not anywhere near as good a GM as he's like us to believe and not exactly a man vet players, or Bear fans for that, matter should put much trust in.

So there you go. That's all of it that I can be certain of based on the info I have. What say you now guys?

Last year he was paid $2.1 mil not $3mil. His cap number was $2.94 mil which included the balance of his signing bonus but yes they could have released him and saved $2.1 mil. But with Manning and Knox no longer around who would be the return man? Weems??? That guy is nothing but a STeams coverage guy and he cost them $1.4 mil last year and produced what? A dozen STeams tackles and nary a point. I'd have cut Weems and used the savings towards Hester but no, Weems is Emery's boy and Hester isn't. Emery still hasn't released Weems and yet his 2014 cap hit is $1.6 mil and they save $1.1 mil if they release him. Emery could have released Weems, offered Hester a vet minimum with a cap cost of $570k and still had cap space for one more of his "one year wonder" deals for the same $570k cap hit.

So just how did this move save any money for the defense? Weems costs him more than Hester would have if he'd have taken that offer. Weems doesn't play defense and he never lines up at WR so how is he any different than Hester with the exception of the fact that Hester is far more valuable as a return threat. He's scores points and creates good field position but......he's not Emery's man and Weems is. Do you guys still not see the pattern I'm trying to point out. It couldn't be any more obvious than this could it?

Now the rest. Emery signed this kid Williams to a three year deal and he's yet to even play one down of NFL football. He's Hesters replacement and his cap cost this year is $520k. Just $50k less than Hester would have cost them. So just how much D is $50k more in cap space gonna buy you? For a measly $50k Phil Emery let the greatest return man in NFL history walk and never even gave him the opportunity to compete for his job this summer and a shot at breaking the record for return TDs as a Bear. Bears fans should be as upset as Urlacher was but they're to busy to look at the facts. Instead it just easier to go on hating Urlacher for telling the truth again!

Does any of this ever hit home to Bears fans or would they all rather just not know the rest of the story and play ostrich? I take the time to check this shit out and I present what, to the best of my ability, I think is a fair representation of the facts. All the facts as I understand them. So tell me again that I'm wrong about Emery getting rid of the Lovie Lovers as fast as he can. If he's not doing that then either he lacks basic math skills and financial common sense (and he has Cliff Stein for that anyway) or he's not anywhere near as good a GM as he's like us to believe and not exactly a man vet players, or Bear fans for that, matter should put much trust in.

So there you go. That's all of it that I can be certain of based on the info I have. What say you now guys?

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Weems is more than just a special teams coverage guy. In fact he has returned kicks for over 1000 yards twice in his career...that would be one more time than mr. hester has done it in his career. So unlike Hester, Weems contributes on coverage teams and can return kicks, thus making him more valuable.

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